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1/2024
MEDIÁLNÍ STUDIA
MEDIA STUDIES
JOURNAL FOR CRITICAL MEDIA INQUIRY
Exploring Audience Engagement Strategies of Data Journalism Prac-
tices in Nigerian Online News Media
Raheemat Adeniran
To cite this article:
Adeniran, R. (2024). Exploring Audience Engagement Strategies of Data Journalism
Practices in Nigerian Online News Media. Mediální studia, 18(1), 113–135.
ISSN 2464-4846
Journal website: https://www.medialnistudia.fsv.cuni.cz/
1/2024
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EXPLORING AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
STRATEGIES OF DATA JOURNALISM PRACTICES
IN NIGERIAN ONLINE NEWS MEDIA
RAHEEMAT ADENIRAN
Fountain University Osogbo
ABSTRACT
Despite the growing momentum of data analysis in Africa, scholarly attention has largely
overlooked the promotion of data-driven content for enhanced audience engagement.
Grounded in the sociology of news paradigm, this study examines engagement practices of
online news platforms in Nigeria and explores the potential inuence of audience engage-
ment metrics on editorial decision-making. e in-depth interview research method was
adopted for the study. Heads of data journalism units in four purposively selected online
news media platforms in Nigeria with established data journalism practices were sampled
as respondents for the study. e study identies six innovative strategies being adopted by
online news media in Nigeria to enhance audience engagement. Findings also conrm the
centrality of audience engagement metrics to news-making decisions, but with the under-
standing to also consider the potential societal impact of stories in determining issues to
produce data-driven content on. e implication for data journalism practice in Nigeria
and its positioning for greater societal impact is discussed.
Keywords: data journalism ■ audience engagement ■ engagement strategies ■
online news media ■ articial intelligence ■ Nigeria
1. INTRODUCTION
Journalism entails information gathering and reporting on the activities of society,
providing necessary information and knowledge for the citizenry to make informed
decisions, stimulate public discourse, and drive policy formation (UNESCO, 2022). As
the bedrock of democratic societies, journalists serve as societal watchdog, acting in
the overall public interest by holding public ocials to account while granting media
access to audiences to express their views (Oso, 2012). e audience is an impor-
tant component of information ow in journalism practice, oen the prime target
of journalism content. e digital revolution further enhanced audiences’ relevance
in the news production and dissemination process, with news media organizations
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increasingly gauging their continuing relevance and sustenance based on audience
acceptability (Meijer & Kormelink, 2019). e extent to which they access and engage
journalism content tend to enhance journalism potential in achieving public good.
Data journalism lends credence to journalism practice by building public trust
in media reports. It reduces perceived subjectivity in general reporting based on
assumptions, allowing authentication of claims with veriable facts in public data.
Lewis (2021, p. 86) explores various aspects of data journalism, dening it as “the
primary reliance on numerical evidence as a journalistic tool in detecting patterns,
or the visual representation of numerical evidence to enable audiences to discern
patterns”. Lewis's denition emphasizes the need for data journalism output to be
centered on providing information to the audience through a clear presentation of
patterns in data. Bradshaw (2024), however, cautions against limiting the contextu-
alization of ‘data’ in ‘data journalism’ only to numerical data noting it can be applied
to varied forms of structured information on the public and in very diverse areas of
human endeavors. Regardless of the data information being reported, huge eort
is exerted into producing data-driven journalism content to ensure that available
data is appropriately collated, cleaned, analyzed and presented in the most appro-
priate format for easy public understanding (Martin et al., 2022). With the rigor in
producing data-driven journalism content, it is expected that such content reach
wide, attracting high public engagement among relevant stakeholders. Journalists
and other newsroom personnel who have invested enormous resources in producing
data-driven reports would expect such content to attain maximum audience reach
and stimulate public engagement for desired societal impact.
However, reaching the audience can be complicated in an age of information
overdose where various contents compete for the audience’s attention online. Pro-
moting data-driven journalism content is particularly important due to the techni-
calities involved in story presentation which may not be so palatable to the general
audience. Data journalism is essential for promoting accountability in governance
and across all sectors of public relevance. Over the years, the wide adoption of data
journalism in many developing countries has been hampered by a lack of relevant
and up-to-date data (Kenya, 2019). Eorts are ongoing to strengthen the penetration
of data journalism in developing countries of the world through capacity building of
newsroom personnel, collaborations among journalists, and increasing availability
of public records for public scrutiny (Internews, 2018; Martin et al., 2022).
e situation is not any dierent in Nigeria, where journalists oen identify
alack of relevant data as a major inhibiting factor to producing data-driven stories
(e.g., Ugbede, 2024). Eorts are also ongoing in the country to address the data chal-
lenge. Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has improved its capacity to pro-
vide insightful data on the country’s diverse socio-economic indices, oering regular
updates on public data on its website as soon they become available. Some organiza-
tions, and coalitions of journalists and civil society groups such as BudgIT, Code for
Africa, Dataphyte, etc. are also rising to the challenge to meet journalists’ demand
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for public data through the digitisation of public records by gathering, processing,
and publishing previously unavailable data wherever possible, while also supporting
government in the open governance drive increasingly being promoted for public
accountability (Abdullah, 2021; Owolabi & Adeniran, 2023). Nigerian journalists are
being provided with requisite data journalism skills to enhance their data journalism
practice through training from local and international media organizations, with
collaborations from digital and technology companies, and relevant government
agencies (Akinfemisoye-Adejare, 2019; Okocha & Odeba, 2022). e trainings are
oen done with donor funding (Otoibhi, 2023), with support from local and interna-
tional government agencies (Okocha & Odeba, 2022).
ese eorts appear to be yielding results as more data journalism platforms and
units are established within existing newsrooms in Nigeria (Ugbede, 2024). Few
media organizations are increasingly publishing well researched data driven sto-
ries to tell the Nigerian story (Okafor, 2019). e reach of this data-driven content
remains unclear as media organizations in the country oen shield such information
from the public. However, it is most likely they are not achieving maximum reach,
barely generating just a few thousand clicks. In Nigeria’s fast-paced, competitive, and
turbulent media environment, many online news media platforms have emerged in
recent times, but most oen resort to poor quality journalism and sharp practices to
attract audience attention (Idris, 2020). Hence, quality journalistic content, such as
data-driven stories, compete for limited audience attention in an online news media
environment where gossip and entertainment stories hold sway (Knepple, 2022).
ese factors tend to limit the potential of data-driven stories to drive public
agenda, promote accountability, make an impact, and stimulate necessary changes
within society. Despite challenges hindering the penetration of data journalism
practice in Nigeria, few online news platforms are championing data journalism
practices, producing high-impact, data-driven stories. Although some traditional
broadcast and print media organizations sometimes produce data-driven content
around specic national and socio-economic issues (e.g., politics, health, economy),
data-driven journalism is more entrenched in a few trail-blazing online news plat-
forms committed to quality and accountability journalism in the country.
ere is no doubt that eorts in entrenching data journalism practice in Africa
deserve scholarly attention to better understand its dynamics across the continent.
Unfortunately, published studies on data journalism practices in the region have
been minimal (Sackey et al., 2022). Previous studies have focused on journalists’ data
skills, and perception of their data journalism capabilities (Gondwe & White, 2022;
Okocha & Odeba, 2022; Ugbede, 2024); adoption, prospect and challenges in data
journalism practices (Martin et al., 2022; Okafor, 2019; Ugbede, 2024); and analy-
sis of data-driven content (Akinfemisoye-Adejare, 2019; Munoriyarwa, 2020). None
examine the data-journalism audience nor their inuence on data journalism prac-
tices. Sackey et al.ʼs (2022) review of related studies on data journalism also failed to
acknowledge the exclusion of the audience in studies on data journalism practices,
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but noted a seeming preference for print media in data journalism scholarship in
Africa.
is study extends the frontiers by focusing on online media and their eorts in
increasing audience engagement with their published data-driven content, while
examining how such drive for greater audience engagement subsequently inu-
ences their data journalism practices. To achieve this aim, heads of selected online
news platforms, with signicant data journalism practice were interviewed using
the semi-structured in-depth method. e following section provides a brief review
of literature exploring the signicance of audience engagement and tracked met-
rics to contemporary media practice, specically in data journalism. It explores the
sociology of news paradigm as a supporting framework to investigate the potential
inuence of audience engagement metrics on the editorial decision-making process
in data journalism practice, leading to the formation of two research questions that
guided the study.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Media practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding their audiences
and how they engage with media content. Such information have implications for
content creation and editorial decision-making, advertisers and other stakeholders,
(Idris, 2020; Nelson 2018). Over the years, print and broadcast media practitioners
have relied on gathered information on their audiences to promote their platforms
to advertisers and also inuence content output to suit their respective audience
demographics (Broersma, 2019). e digital media environment oers new opportu-
nities to track and measure audience characteristics in real-time, not by audiences’
claims on how they consume media content but by tracking their digital interactions
on published content. Almost all media organizations now have an online presence
facilitating the assessment of user engagement for every individual accessing media
content online through generated “online behavior metrics” subsequently utilized in
editorial decision-making (Broersma, 2019, p. 2).
Audience engagement has been described as an “aspirational buzzword” with con-
tested meanings but is increasingly touted as a key criterion for measuring the suc-
cess or failure of journalism (Nelson, 2018, p. 528). Generally, it suggests the extent
of users’ interaction with media content. Broersma (2019, p. 1) describes audience
engagement as “the cognitive, emotional, or aective experiences that users have
with media content or brands”, noting it “denotes an active and intentional orienta-
tion toward what users read, view, or hear. Audience engagement is conceptualized in
this study to describe varied ways by which media audience experience and interact
with published news content in varied formats and across varied platforms possible.
is spans beyond content disseminated via the news media platform or websites,
including newsletters delivered via emails and varied content shared on social media
platforms, and all avenues created for audience interaction with published content.
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Scholars have explored audience engagement from varied perspectives, with sig-
nicant attention paid to the potential of audience metrics in sustaining journalism
(Nelson, 2018). For instance, Nelson (2018) conducted an ethnography on an audi-
ence engagement rm, Hearken, which services news media organizations. His nd-
ings noted prevailing ambiguities in the denition and measurement of audience
engagement within the news media industry, making it impossible to suciently
quantify inherent gains. is, he noted prompted Hearken to focus on appealing to
clients’ intuition, who then hope for some benets from the rms’ interpretation of
their audience engagement metrics. Olmstead et al. (2011) explored the dynamics
of audience engagement to examine how people get linked to news pages they visit,
and their exit. Möller et al. (2020) examined the navigation routine of online news
consumers, exploring the navigation sequence of users in interacting with news
content.
In contemporary news media practice, media practitioners oen base the success
or failure of journalistic content on audience metrics rather than real-time societal
impact (Knepple, 2022). Audience metrics can, however, generate unexpected out-
comes. Notably, increased content posting may not necessarily translate into greater
engagement, as audiences appear to engage more with content that resonates with
them (Ferrer-Conill et al., 2023). Data journalism is one aspect of journalism that
focuses on using data to tell stories. Data-driven journalism content tends to pro-
duce content with greater societal impact and audience engagement even in socie-
ties where the practice is not yet widespread (Internews, 2018). Data journalism is
a rigorous endeavor requiring requisite but scarce skills. Hence, data-driven con-
tent, when eventually produced, should attract greater audience attention, evoke
appropriate reactions to drive public discourse and achieve greater societal impact
(Green-Barber, 2021).
Data journalism tends to be audience-centered, presenting journalism content to
the audience with a higher level of credibility, and allowing them to interact with pub-
lished data using varied visualization techniques (Bradshaw, 2024). Audience engage-
ment is thus at the earth of data journalism practice with content oen designed to
be interactive for users. erefore, understanding audience engagement with data
journalism content enables practitioners to “maximize its (data journalism) positive
impact and demonstrate its value to audiences” (Green-Barber, 2021, p. 247).
Few studies have explored the relationship between audience engagement and
data journalism, particularly how audience engagement can transcend tracking
metrics to enable collaboration in creating data-driven “stories with social impact
and a global reputation” (Palomo et al., 2019, p. 13). Michalski (2016) examines the
degree of audience engagement and integration in two related data-driven projects
by e Guardian and e Washington Post on police killings in the United States. His
detailed case study provides an empirically driven description of the extent and
nature of audience engagement with these projects. A more recent study by Mar-
tin et al. (2024) explores journalists’ motivations for audience engagement and their
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strategies for integrating audiences into journalistic practices. ese studies suggest
an increasing expectation and facilitation of audience engagement with data-driven
media content among media practitioners.
Generally, the relationship between audience engagement and data journalism
has received little attention in studies on data journalism, which mostly focus on
the practices and capabilities of practitioners, leaving a signicant gap in audience
reception studies (Sackey et al., 2022). is study examines the dynamics of audi-
ence engagement metrics related to data journalism practices in Nigerian online
news media. Premised on the sociology of news paradigm, it investigates the eorts
of selected online news media platforms with established data journalism practices
to promote published content and enhance engagement, and how extracted metrics
on audience engagement impact editorial decision-making.
e sociology of news paradigm proposes examining the “social process by
which journalists decide what is news and the social forces that inuence or limit
how journalists gather and assemble news from raw materials into a journalistic
product” (Berkowitz, 1997, p. xii). It explores issues around journalists’ selection
of information to report as news, and the intervening variables inuencing what
is eventually presented as news content to the general public. In relation to this
study, data-driven content tends to engage readers by presenting otherwise com-
plex information in ways that are more relatable. erefore, data journalists need
to balance audience information needs with other news determinants in their edi-
torial decision-making on what issues to focus on and publish data-driven content
about. e sociology of news paradigm thus guides our examination of how online
news media organizations in Nigeria seek audience engagement for their data-
driven content and how generated feedback inuences future production and dis-
semination of such content.
Hence, this study explores the audience factor in the data journalism editorial
decision-making and seeks to understand the extent to which audience engage-
ment data and practices determine issues data journalists in Nigerian online news
media focus on. What eorts do online news platforms in Nigeria put into the dis-
semination of data-driven content, and how do audience interactions on published
content inuence content creation and dissemination. is becomes pertinent as
studies on data journalism in Sub-Saharan Africa (Akinfemisoye-Adejare, 2019;
Gondwe &White, 2022; Martin et al., 2022; Munoriyarwa, 2020; Okocha & Odeba,
2022; Sackey et al., 2022; Ugbede, 2024) have overlooked evaluating audience role
in producing data-driven content. is study thus sought to answer the following
questions:
RQ1: How do Nigerian online news media build readers’ interest in data-driven
content?
RQ2: To what extent do audience engagement metrics inuence data journalism
editorial decision-making among Nigerian online news platforms?
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3. METHOD
is study is designed as a descriptive and exploratory study due to limited literature
on the topic within the study area (Swann, 2023). It adopts the in-depth interview
method to examine audience engagement practices on data-driven content by Nige-
rian online news media. Four online news media platforms reputed for producing
quality and original data-driven reports are purposively selected and sampled for
the study. ey include Premium Times, e Cable, and International Centre for Inves-
tigative Reporting (ICIR) and Dataphyte. e rst three listed platforms are general
news platforms with edging data journalism desks/teams producing regular data-
driven reports. ese organizations are reputable online news platforms that have
earned accolades for fearless and independent reporting in a saturated online media
space proliferated with news aggregators mostly feeding on content produced by
established news organizations (Adepetun, 2017). Dataphyte is a more recent addi-
tion established in 2020 as a wholly data-driven news media platform committed to
exploring issues with data-driven insights.
e heads of the data journalism team from the sampled organization were inter-
viewed for this study to provide insights on online media audience engagement
practices for data-driven content. When the editor was not available, a represent-
ative from the data journalism team was interviewed instead. e team lead or any
data journalist closely involved in the team's operations was considered a suitable
respondent, as the focus was on the platform's operations rather than individual
perceptions or activities. Interviewing multiple team members was unlikely to yield
additional insights, as respondents were clear about the information they could
share. However, two respondents were interviewed from Premium Times due to
identied gaps in the responses of the initial respondent. e lead editor was later
interviewed to provide further insights into the organization’s practices, thus lling
those gaps.
In total, ve respondents were interviewed; three team leads and two senior
data journalists, consisting of four males and one female. e interviews took place
between February and March 2023, coinciding with Nigeria’s general elections
period, inuencing respondents’ references to data-driven election coverage in the
interview excerpts. Each session lasted between 15 and 30 minutes. Respondents
were anonymized, but their organizations were not, to highlight their unique char-
acteristics. Interview excerpts were attributed to respondents based on their organ-
izational aliations where necessary
4. FINDINGS
Findings from the in-depth interviews are thematically analyzed and presented
in themes in this section. e themes explore organizational commitment to data
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journalism practice, audience engagement practices, and inuence of audience met-
rics on editorial decision-making.
4.1. Commitment to Data Journalism Practice
Findings from the study suggest that data journalism practices are deeply ingrained
across the sampled organizations. Respondents conrmed that their organizations
have dedicated data journalism teams, which regularly publish data-driven content
inspired by contemporary issues and available data to highlight, validate, debunk,
or substantiate the current state. Respondents armed their organizations’ com-
mitment to data journalism practices. For instance, the respondent from Dataphyte
describes his organization as,
… the leading data-driven media organization in Nigeria and Africa. We go
deep into analyzing data and contextualizing it. We also use data to expose
corruption, demand accountability, indicate key issues that need the atten-
tion to policymakers, and oer explanations in-terms of explainers about
what demand accountability, indicate key issues that need attention from
policymakers and oer explanations in terms of explainers about what data
may be saying.
Respondent @ Dataphyte
According to respondents, in considering topics to produce data-driven content on,
they focus on contemporary and “topical issues, bothering on the economy, climate
change, governance, health, security” etc., “that tend to invoke the most reactions
from Nigerians… (with) serious policy implications”. ey all expressed commit-
ment to providing data-driven content audiences can readily understand and relate
with for a better understanding of pressing public issues while “using data to amplify
the voices of the underserved.”
4.2. Audience Engagement Strategies
Respondents reported adopting dierent strategies to widen the reach and engage-
ments on published data-driven stories.
Compelling Storytelling Techniques
Respondents noted a dearth of data journalists producing data-driven content,
alongside audience apathy in consuming data-driven content. is necessitates data
journalists to present their content in very compelling and simplied manner to ease
audience understanding and sustain their interest.
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Data is regarded as being boring by most people, so we try to humanize the
data… we try to make the story as relatable as possible. From the lead of
the story, we are drawing you with something catchy… engaging before
you even start to see the data embedded in the story. If we are using the
infographics approach, we ensure that we use very captivating graphics ...
design it in such a way that it will bring the attention of the readers on rst
notice.
Respondent @ e Cable
We are intentional in putting our readers in mind…We understand that this
is data journalism, and having this in mind guides how we write the story,
how we make it easier and fun to read, how we make the visualization, and
how we don’t disturb people with data. I mean, we are in Nigeria, and life
is hard already. Don’t make it harder with data when people are reading
the story. Also, we understand that people no longer have a large attention
span, too… So we put all these in mind to ensure that we have more engage-
ment on data stories.
Respondent @ Dataphyte
Humanizing Story
Respondents agreed that data stories anchored in personal experiences tend to reso-
nate with audiences and capture their attention. ey stressed the importance of sit-
uating data stories within everyday contexts, thereby humanizing the narrative. To
achieve this, they oen focus on linking data to individuals' lived experiences, mak-
ing reported stories relatable to the average reader. According to one respondents,
Sometimes you have data, you analyze the data, you nish sorting and
everything, but then you nd out there’s no story because you cannot link
it to a human angle to be able to tell their story, then there’s no story… If it’s
something people are interested in…data people want to know. If you link
it to people, if you nd the human aspect to it, people automatically become
interested.
Respondent 1 @ Premium Times
Visualization is a Key
Respondents noted the importance of visualizations in driving audience engagement
of data-driven content, enabling easy sharing and facilitating constructive dialogue
among the audience. ey disclosed that eective data visualizations on contempo-
rary issues tend to capture audience attention and stimulate engagement on topics
that might otherwise be overlooked.
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People tend to get bored with numbers, and statistics. So, to sustain interest,
you have to do visualization… charts, Infographics, interactive maps, etc…
So when data is visualized, it aids understanding, it enhances comprehen-
sibility, so people tend to appreciate that, and that sustains their interests…
It drives more people to view, to read.
Respondent 2 @ Premium Times
Data visualization is increasingly being used in the media to report on germane
societal issues to drive public discourse, as evidenced in the coverage of elections
and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to respondents, Media coverage of Nigeria’s
2023 general elections was closely monitored by Nigerians and the global audience
as media organizations published various visualizations on election-related data,
which were regularly updated and presented to engage the audience and update
them on relevant pre/post-election data. Respondents noted that the high audience
engagement on the data-driven coverage of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections portends
a good omen for data journalism content in the country.
ere are circumstances that you have huge audience engagement for
data-driven content. Like this season of election...People wanted to know
the number of registered voters in the country, which state had the larg-
est number of registered voters, which had the least, which states had the
record of voting in millions which had the record of low voters’ turn out…
So imagine if what we are doing is just to write stories to say this candidate
has won this state with 700 or 950 thousand votes. is is how people voted.
So if you are writing a story and giving out these numbers of 18 candidates,
what scores did they get in this state? ... How many people will have the
time to read such? ey won’t. But through data visualizations, you can have
your data (at a glance), the stories are there, you are just telling it in a data
format, and you’ve gotten your audience engaged, and it has gone far than
you can imagine.
Respondent 1 @ Premium Times
Online Content Promotion
To drive readership and build audience engagement, respondents noted promoting
data-driven stories and accompanying visualizations on various platforms as appro-
priate. e content is usually disseminated through their respective websites, SM
handles, newsletters, etc. Twitter appeared to be the most favored platform across
sampled organizations, even though respondents noted the uniqueness of each plat-
form in promoting specic kinds of content. is was aptly rationalized by respond-
ent from e Cable thus,
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I say Twitter because, Twitter has an audience that is more interested in
conversations, more interested in engaging content that you put out, as
opposed to other platforms. Yes, more Nigerians are active on Facebook, but
they are less likely to engage data infographics on Facebook than on Twit-
ter. Facebook is more of a familiar setting where people want to talk about
things that they are up to...It is similar to Instagram... So yes, Twitter is the
platform because of the nature, and the habits and preferences of the audi-
ence there.
Respondent @ e Cable
e selected organizations boast a substantial online presence, with a large following
across various social media platforms, enabling them to extend their reach beyond
their news websites. All sampled platforms leveraged Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp,
and email to promote their content. Additionally, they are exploring other platforms
like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube to expand their audience reach and
tap into the potential of these platforms to engage diverse audiences with data-
driven content.
We are very active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We are
coming up with more activity on social media, even TikTok...We understand
that the generation we have now youths mainly youth and many youths are
on social media. We also have older people on social media, so it is an ample
way for us to reach them and sell the kind of journalism we do.
Respondent @ Dataphyte
We do heavy promotion on social media; we use Facebook, Instagram, Tel-
egram, and YouTube... Recently, we started making videos from our info-
graphics. We had done an explainer infographics about the manifestos of the
presidential candidates. It was published as Infographics, but we realized we
could get more eyes on other platforms, so we decided to make it into a video
format using the same infographics, just putting audio and some music back-
ground. So, we keep thinking of new platforms to use; weʼve started TikTok,
too, to amplify some of the things that we do. So majorly, we understand that
social media is where the new generation is, even the old generation, they
are all moving to social media, so, we meet them there…Another platform
we use is Whatsapp, people underestimate the importance of WhatsApp. It
is probably the most populous platform for sharing fake news and that says
a lot about how much time people spend on the platform.
Respondent @ e Cable
Strategic Content Release
Respondents reported adopting strategic dissemination of published data-driven
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stories. Such stories are reportedly presented in appropriate formats suitable for
the planned disseminating platform. Among adopted strategies include summa-
rizing key points of published stories into “snackable bits” for easy dissemination
on various social media platforms. To achieve this, core facts are summarized and
visualized in aptly designed infographics, charts, maps, etc., and published as data
cards. Respondents also noted producing short promotional videos, threads, etc.,
oen accompanied by a link to the full story on their respective websites for seamless
sharing across social media platforms.
We have an amplication strategy across all platforms and the dierent
social media we use. For all the ones we use, thereʼs always a strategy. So,
when we have a story, we focus that story to t on the platform. What works
well for Instagram will likely not work well for Twitter. For instance, if you
do a thread, you should know that a thread will only work based on Twitter.
So, if you want to send that same content on Instagram, you should know
the best thing you should be thinking of to drive it is individuals…So, what
we do is understand each platform and know the best way to reach it.
Respondent @ ICIR
e organizations have also developed innovative strategies to promote their data-
driven content. For example, e Cable has a dedicated Twitter handle, e Cable Index
(@thecableindex), solely for sharing data visualizations from its reports. Dataphyte,
on the other hand, produces a weekly electronic newsletter called Data Dives, which
provides in-depth analysis and insights on key socio-economic issues and events in
the country. e newsletter is sent to subscribers and aggregated email addresses.
Additionally, Dataphyte has a dedicated webpage (https://www.Dataphyte.com/
visualisation/) for publishing visualized data elements on various socio-economic
issues, utilizing hashtags like #DailyDataCard and providing concise captions for
each visualization.
Respondents noted the importance of publishing data-driven content that reso-
nates with the publicʼs current interests and concerns. ey highlighted the need for
strategic timing in releasing data-driven content, aligning it with pertinent issues
and trends in society, to maximize its impact and relevance.
If you are pushing out data-driven content during the election, know that
it is what a lot of people are interested in. If you decide to push out data
stories around health or COVID during election season, it is denitely not
going to get trac. Because thatʼs not what people are interested in. So…you
have to plan the stories and see to the right time to push them. So, I will say
if you are mindful of timeliness, (and) your amplication strategies, you
will generally do well.
Respondent @ ICIR
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Journalists as Content Promoters
Statutorily the digital team at the sampled organizations manages content promo-
tion. Journalists are, however, encouraged (but not obligated) to promote published
content on their respective social media handles for wider reach. Respondents noted
that journalists consider promoting their content a norm having invested enormous
resources into producing such. Respondents, however, acknowledged content pro-
motion as an additional responsibility, but one journalist voluntarily took up its
inherent benets. ey noted that the amount of rigor that goes into producing good
data-driven content makes it imperative to share them widely to have more informed
citizenry. ey agreed that journalists are also able to build their professional prole
by promoting their content. According to respondents,
Statutorily the digital teams at the sampled organizations are responsible for
content promotion. However, journalists are encouraged, though not mandated, to
share published content on their personal social media platforms to expand their
reach. Respondents indicated that journalists consider content promotion a stand-
ard practice, given the signicant resources invested in producing high-quality
data-driven content. While respondents acknowledged content promotion as an
additional responsibility, one journalist voluntarily embraced its inherent benets.
e respondent emphasized that the rigor and eort invested in producing excep-
tional data-driven content necessitate its widespread dissemination to foster a more
informed citizenry. Moreover, respondents agreed that promoting their content
enhances journalists' professional proles and reputations.
Yes… But I will not call it a burden because I don’t think any newspaper
imposes a rule on their journalists to share their content online. As far as I
know, no newspaper does that. But like I said, people have an investment
in stories, being a reporter, being the editor, or just like it. You just want
to promote knowledge. You just want to aid public understanding of that
issue. So, you also share it. Data journalism is an aspect of enterprise jour-
nalism. So, if you are a journalist, who has done enterprise reporting, not
just turn in press releases here and there, you will want to promote it... It
just feels like duty-bound to promote it. It is self-fullling…It’s something
you sat on…used some tools…it requires skills to produce. So, you want to
showcase it.
Respondent 2 @ Premium Times
It’s not something that is so serious that a journalist has to be conscious
about, it’s just normal routine. I mean, a journalist works, you have to just
put your work out there…; putting out data-driven insights can be very
much intriguing for the reader because you’re bringing them new perspec-
tives and a lot of new realities…People are on Twitter following journalists,
on LinkedIn or Facebook… they have a right to also benet from that kind of
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information. So…. It’s just something that should happen subconsciously. If
a journalist is proud of his/her work, they would want to put their content
out there.
Respondent @ Dataphyte
4.2. Audience Engagement Metrics’ Inuence on Editorial Decision-making
Findings from the study reveal that each sampled organization has a dedicated digi-
tal team responsible for monitoring audience engagement metrics on published con-
tent. ere, however, appears to be some observed secrecy in the operations of the
digital tracking team, with limited disclosure on the nature and usage of garnered
audience metrics. Eorts to get the digital team leader or any other member in any
of the sampled organizations to serve as respondents for this study were abortive.
Responses discussed here are thus limited to how generated audience data inuence
editorial decision-making in the sampled organizations, which respondents were
willing to share.
Respondents conrmed that audience engagement metrics signicantly inuence
editorial decisions regarding the publication of data-driven content. ey empha-
sized the importance of focusing on topical issues that garner widespread public
interest. To inform their decisions, respondents rely heavily on Google Analytics and
other social media analytical tools to track audience engagement metrics for pub-
lished content across their website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and
other channels.
We use (mostly) Google Analytics to track audience engagement…every
month, we get reports on what people are reading, what they are talking
about, where they are reading from, demography, kind of the search engines
that they are getting our sites from, the keywords that they are looking for,
so yes, we rely on Google analytics primarily.
Respondent @ e Cable
Practically all social media platforms have their analytics, so we track it…
(But) one that is universally used is Google Analytics. Google is technically
one of the best search engines there’s been in the business of gathering ana-
lytics for quite a while.
Respondent @ ICIR
e analysis of tracked audience metrics provides valuable insights into the top-
ics and subjects that resonate with the audience, enabling the platforms to identify
opportunities to create relevant data-driven content that caters to their interests.
Additionally, this analysis oers a chance for the media platforms to investigate the
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factors contributing to low engagement with certain content and utilize this knowl-
edge to rene their approach and improve future content performance.
Audience metrics are major drivers…What we do is, when we see that this
is what people are searching for, this is what is trending or more topical
at this point in time, we then brainstorm to come up with content…story
ideas we can execute and feed them with. So, it is basically a sort of rela-
tionship where what they want is what we are delivering… because if you
don't pay attention to the metrics, then you're actually working blindly…So
sometimes, with more (audience metrics) data, we know the time we can
prioritize certain places more, especially if the signicance of that thing
that issue, or that incident is of national importance.
Respondent @ e Cable
Although audience metrics are integral to their operations, respondents expressed
caution against overreliance on these metrics. In the online environment, numerous
content pieces vie for the dwindling attention span of audiences, creating pressure
on news platforms to produce content with broad appeal to capture a signicant
share of audience engagement (Adepetu, 2017). Respondents emphasized the need
to deemphasize audience metrics as a dominant determining factor in driving data-
driven content production, as engagement patterns may not necessarily reect con-
tent quality or societal impact (Ferrer-Conill et al., 2023). Instead, they stressed the
importance of targeting relevant stakeholders who can take meaningful action on
the issues reported, rather than solely prioritizing audience engagement.
We know that in this industry… sensational stories with click-bait head-
lines tend to move a lot more. But we understand the importance of what we
do… we know that everything does not start and end with metrics or data
analytics. At the end of the day, we still have responsibilities as journalists
to report what is happening, to educate and to inform…We understand that
you can actually spend months on some stories and will not get more than
ve thousand views. But there are stories that you may write just sitting by
your desk within thirty minutes, and within two hours of publishing, you
are already getting y thousand clicks or more. So…I always encourage
journalists to forget about the number of views that your important stories
get, what you pay attention to is the quality of the eyes viewing it. Do you
have stakeholders paying attention to your stories? Do you have policymak-
ers paying attention? Do you have relevant persons who can provide some
impact for the stories?
Respondent @ e Cable
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“We won’t stop writing a particular story or publish an investigation because
the last investigation published didn’t get enough engagement. If a story is
important, if a story would make a change, if a story is very keen on policy
formation for the underserved, if the story is going to expose ills, of course,
we’ll write it regardless of what analytics comes out of it.
Respondent @Dataphyte
Respondents thus noted prioritizing stories’ impact over reach, while being strategic
in increasing audience engagement on published content. For instance, respondent
at Dataphyte noted his organization prefers to focus on the impact of their stories
in achieving desired goals. According to him, Dataphyte’s reports on governments’
failed or non-performing contracts were soon completed aer publishing data-
driven reports on them due to the level of public engagement such published stories
attracted the citizenry and policymakers.
Respondents thus noted prioritizing the impact of stories over their reach, while
adopting strategic approaches to enhance audience engagement with published con-
tent. For example, the respondent from Dataphyte highlighted that his organization
focuses on the tangible impact of their stories in achieving desired goals within the
society. He noted that Dataphyte's data-driven reports on governments’ failed or
non-performing contracts led to their swi completion aer publication, thanks to
the high level of public engagement and attention from policymakers and citizens.
e respondent from ICIR concurred, noting that,
At ICIR we are more or less focused on impact…Of course, we want people to
read us, but we are more interested in our stories making impact… If we report that
there's corruption somewhere, we prefer to have that corruption xed or have who-
ever is responsible arrested than having a million people read it. I am not saying that
we do not want a million people to read it, but…the impact is what we actually focus
on…because what we want is good governance.
Respondents dismissed the idea that audience metrics inuence the evaluation
or ranking of journalists within their organizations. Instead, they viewed audience
metrics as a tool for shared learning and professional development among colleagues
in the newsroom, fostering a collaborative environment where journalists can learn
from each other's strengths and weaknesses.
As an online newspaper, we understand that we need more views constantly
and continuously, so we always work towards that, but we do not judge
reporters by the number of views their stories get. We only look at quality
because…we understand that the most viewable reports do not exactly get
the most views or readership, so we just focus on the quality.
Respondent @e Cable
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e story that every journalist writes at Dataphyte is important. So what the
analytics does is to help us learn from one another. at’s the core of our
work, teamwork and bonding. So, if a story got more read than the other,
we want to understand what this writer is doing to get more read and why.
It may be a case of at that point, that issue is trending, and everyone wants
to read. So, how can we leverage this to promote other stories? So, it doesn’t
make a journalist bigger than other journalists in the newsroom. We just
use that process to learn, not to arrogate power to ourselves.
Respondent @Dataphyte
5. DISCUSSION
5.1. RQ1: Building Readers’ Interest in Data-Driven Content
is study highlights how Nigerian online news media build the interest of read-
ers in data-driven content within the context of the sociology of news perspective.
Findings indicate online media platforms in Nigeria use innovative storytelling tech-
niques, multi-platform dissemination of content, data highlights through appro-
priate visualizations and key point summaries to build audience engagements on
published content. e selected platforms recognize the importance of being stra-
tegic in engaging their audiences and are continuously innovating ways to expand
their reach. ey seem to understand the implication of the huge competition for
audience attention in the online space (Idris, 2020) and the nature of data-driven
content, which attracts less audience attention (Meijer & Kormelink, 2019), which
the organizations then use appropriately for data news-making decisions.
Reported eorts in the study on content simplication for audience under-
standing is fundamental to data journalism (Bradshaw, 2024), with the potential
to promote awareness and public accountability, build citizens’ consciousness, and
strengthen governance in the country. Findings from this study support previous
studies on increasing adaptation of digital media tools for eective dissemination
of data-driven news content in Nigerian media space, despite observed challenges
(Okafor, 2019; Ugbede, 2024). It extends the frontiers by identifying specic strate-
gies being adopted by data journalism-inclined online news platforms in Nigeria to
ensure a wider reach for data-driven content and informed news-making decisions.
e use of social media for distribution and tracking audience engagements on
data-driven content enhances data journalismʼs potential for greater societal impact.
Social media has been noted for driving audience news consumption (Möller et al.,
2020). is is particularly so with Nigeria having a high internet and social media
penetration rate, with an increasing proportion of the population relying on digital
devices and social media platforms for their news consumption (Adeyemo & Roper,
2022). e regular use of appropriate social media platforms such as Twitter and
Facebook, and experimentation with others (e.g., Whatsapp, Instagram, Tiktok) is
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a welcome development capable of further entrenching data-driven content among
the populace. Nonetheless, Twitter, the most favored among respondents in dissem-
inating data-driven content, is the h most-used social media platform in the coun-
try (Adeyemo & Roper, 2022; Sasu, 2023). is may have necessitated the versatility
of the sampled organizations in adapting their produced data journalism content to
more popular, but less conventional platforms for news dissemination and audience
engagement. Disseminating data-driven content on diverse platforms invariably
extends its reach, a necessary condition that must be met before further engagement
can be achieved and tracked.
Adopting multiple audience engagement strategies, evidenced in this study, is
a welcome development toward widening the penetration of data-driven content
among the citizenry. Newsrooms need to prepare for the AI disruptive future where
AI will likely limit featured links in search engine queries (Rinehart, 2023). is,
according to Rinehart, will require newsrooms to depend more on building audience
engagement on their own platforms and “a variety of specialized e-mail newsletters,
podcasts, and Whatsapp or SMS groups” to direct the audience to their news content
(Rinehart, 2023, 3.00 minute). As AI-optimized search engines may render news
content more elusive, this proactive approach will become increasingly vital.
5.2. RQ2: Inuence of Audience Engagement Metrics
on Data Journalism Editorial Decision-Making
is study also examines the extent to which audience engagement metrics inuence
data journalism editorial decision-making among online news platforms in Nigeria.
Findings suggest that audience engagement metrics signicantly inuence editorial
decision-making, prompting the kind of issues to produce data-driven content on,
nature of presentation and dissemination, location, etc. ese support existing lit-
erature on online news platforms (e.g. Knepple, 2022; Meijer & Kormelink, 2019),
establishing the centrality of the audience in deciding what news to cover (Stringer,
2020). Today’s media audiences assume a participatory role and are increasingly
integrated into content development, news information processing, and dissemina-
tion (Palomo et al., 2019). is is particularly true for data journalism, where data-
driven content is contextually produced and disseminated to meet the diverse needs
of audience members (Bradshaw, 2024).
Beyond promoting data-driven content that resonates with their audiences but
may have little or no impact on society (Ferrer-Conill et al., 2023), the news platforms
examined in this study appear committed to their social responsibility role within
society. Respondents stressed the need to prioritize the potential impact of data jour-
nalism content over audience metrics in deciding what to publish (Knepple, 2022).
Such understanding remains pertinent to the normative environment of the media
population under study. Nigeria is a developing nation with varied developmental
challenges. It is imperative for news media organizations in such environments to
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cautiously promote developmental goals and good governance through their jour-
nalism practices.
e sampled organizationsʼ emphasis on the societal impact of their published
data-driven stories may be attributed to their non-prot orientation, as they rely on
donor funding to support specic journalism initiatives, including data journalism
practice examined in this study. Hence, they are more likely to commit to promoting
accountability through data-driven content as expected by their funders. erefore,
editorial considerations for audience metrics can be less focused on the revenue-gen-
eration and more centered on fullling their public obligation, as noted by Knepple
(2022). e ndings suggest a deliberate shi away from prioritizing audience met-
rics solely to drive trac to published content, as observed by Nelson (2018). Despite
the challenging media landscape in Nigeria, the sampled organizations demonstrate
a commitment to upholding core journalistic values, prioritizing public interest and
good governance over audience engagement metrics. While the desire for greater
audience engagement is evident, the ultimate goal remains the promotion of public
accountability and sustainable journalism practices. erefore, audience engage-
ment metrics are just one of several considerations in data journalism editorial deci-
sion-making, rather than the sole driving factor.
6. CONCLUSION
is study examines the production of data-driven content and how audience
engagement metrics on published content tend to inuence editorial decision-mak-
ing. Findings indicate the production of data-driven content within a social process
supported by the capabilities of data journalists to creatively engage the audience for
a better understanding of published data-driven content. Audiences’ preferences, in
turn, exert a signicant level of inuence on issues on data-driven content is even-
tually published. Newsrooms, however, need to ensure their audience engagement
practices are optimized for expected AI disruptions in the near future, if not now.
In relation to the study’s supporting framework, the sociology of news paradigm,
this study concludes that the sociology of data journalism news-making in Nigerian
“reputable” online news media is dependent on meeting and sustaining the informa-
tion needs of media audiences, while remaining mindful of the need to create signif-
icant societal impact through publication of relevant data-driven stories irrespective
of the level of engagement such stories could attract. e emphasis here is on “rep-
utable” indicating this conclusion only resonates with platforms acclaimed for good
journalistic practices over the years (Adepetun, 2017). is is particularly important
as the Nigerian online media space is saturated with supposed news media platforms
primarily interested in attracting audience trac to their websites, thereby resort-
ing to poor-quality journalism and sharp practices to achieve their aim (Idris, 2020).
is study is thus limited to online platforms committed to good quality jour-
nalism. Its ndings may not be generalizable to the larger Nigerian news media
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landscape despite almost all media platforms having an online presence. is is
largely due to the peculiarities of online news platforms, which signicantly dier
from other media genres. e ndings in this study support an increasing centrality
of news media audiences in the production of data-driven news content. Further
studies are, however, encouraged to examine audience perception and engagement
with such content.
Access to data on audience metrics is a key factor in understanding audience
engagement with news media content, but such data is oen jealously guarded by
news media organizations in Nigeria. e inability to get personnel on the digital
tracking team of the sampled organizations to participate in this study is a major
limitation to its ndings, preventing real-time evaluation of how audience data
inuences content creation, production, and dissemination of data journalism con-
tent. Media practitioners are oen at the forefront of campaigns for open data. It
will be a welcome development for them to make their audience data available for
research purposes, thus aiding our understanding of data journalism and audience
engagement of data-driven content in Nigeria and similar media environments.
Irrespective of the noted limitations, this study explores a less researched area
of data journalism scholarship in a developing country where the practice is less
entrenched. It provides a clear description of how entrenched audience-centered
data journalism practice is being adopted and contextualized within the Nigerian
media landscape. With Nigerians increasingly relying on online news media for their
news consumption, it is pertinent to understand what this portends for news media
practices in the country. With the increasing datacation of society enabling more
sources for data-driven content, more audience-centered studies are encouraged for
better understanding and development of data journalism practice in the country.
Raheemat Adeniran is a Reader/Associate Professor at the Mass Communication
Department, Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. She is a trained jour-
nalist and a content analysis enthusiast with rich research experience in quantita-
tive and qualitative research methods. She has research interests in Journalism and
Media Studies, Health Communication and Misinformation Studies.
E-mail: raheemat.adeniran@fuo.edu.ng
e author declares that there is no conict of interest.
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